Strawberry Chia Jam
by DK
on
Jul 30, 2015

Incorporating "super" everything - grains, seeds, nuts and the likes in our daily diet seems like such a task. Most of the recipes provided along with such ingredients do not cater to our needs since our menu does not include salads, soups, puddings, granola or smoothie on a daily basis. So, I had to spend considerable amount of time trying to see how I can include these in our menu.

I make jams often and hence decided to use that avenue to see if I could start from there. Was pleasantly surprised to see many like minded fellow foodies with such a need and this idea from one such website caught my fancy. This recipe was more of my style as well. Minimalistic ingredients and fuss free process when it comes to regular cooking, is my mantra.

The highlight of the recipe though has to be Strawberries. Make sure to choose high quality sweet strawberries. It not only provides greater flavor but also helps to minimize (or even avoid) the addition of a sweetener. The addition of Chia seeds does not do much to the taste since our strawberry jam tastes like.....strawberry jam. The only proof are those teeny tiny flecks of black throughout the jam that not only helped the jam to thicken faster (without pectin since chia seeds gel with water) but also boost nutrition to your regular jam.

Cook time:
Under 15 min

Prep time:
Under 15 min

Serves:
8+ people

Yields:
Makes approximately 2 cups or 1 pint.

Ingredients

1 lb Strawberries, hulled and chopped

1/3 cup pure Maple Syrup*, or to taste - see Tips

2 tbsp Chia Seeds

Tips

1.Maple Syrup: You can use any sweetener of your choice. I normally use Evaporated Cane Juice, but I wanted to put the little amount of Maple syrup left in my fridge, to good use. Just keep in mind that every sweetener would bring its own flavor profile to this jam, hence use discretion. The amount of sweetener would depend on the sweetness of the strawberries and your requirement.

Method

1.
Place strawberries, chia seeds and maple syrup in a blender.

2.
Blend until pureed. If you like chunkier Jam, then just pulse it few times until your desired consistency is reached.Note: Instead of blending, you can alternatively place them in a saucepan and once soft, mash it to your required consistency.

3.
Set a saucepan over medium heat and pour the puree to it.

4.
Bring it to a boil.

5.
Reduce heat and simmer until it starts to thicken. This would take anywhere from 7 -14 min depending on the heat of your stove.

6.
Remove from heat and pour into a mason jar. Completely cool and then store it in a fridge.

Though I would recommend using it within 1 week, I find that mine stays good even until 3 weeks. I have not been able to find for more than that 'cos by then it's over :)